One widely used type of device for mounting a bicycle to an automobile is a skewer assembly fixed to the vehicle's roof. The front wheel is removed from the bicycle, and the front fork is held to the device by passing a skewer rod through the fork where the hub was removed, and tightening the skewer against the fork, acting as a clamp.
Initially, the skewer assemblies were essentially identical to those used on a conventional quick release hub. Protrusions on the skewer housing simulated the hollow axle of the bicycle hub, and these protrusions were of the same diameter and wall thickness as the bicycle's hollow axles.
In experience, especially on roof racks, the skewer rods were often bent in use, especially when installing or removing the bicycle from the rack. There followed a development, which is now common practice, to increase the diameter of the hole in the housing, and to increase the diameter of the rod. However, this reduces the wall thickness of the skewer housing protrusions to a barely acceptable minimum dimension. Still, bending of the skewer rods remains a major problem, and with known housing constructions, further increase in rod diameter cannot be provided.
It is an object of this invention to provide a skewer housing and skewer rod in which the diameter of the skewer rod can be enlarged enough so as substantially to eliminate the risk of bending the rod.
The above and other features of this invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which: